The Packers got their pass rusher and he’s from USC. Can Nick Perry do for the Packers’ defense what Clay Matthews did?

Perry, a blend of power and speed who lit up the scouting combine, was made the 28th pick of the draft on Thursday night. He immediately addresses the Packers’ desperate need for a pass rusher, following a season in which the Packers were last in the league in sacks per pass play.

The Packers selected Matthews out of USC in the 2009 draft and Matthews immediately became one of the pass-rush stars of the league. The hope is that Perry’s presence will help take the focus of offenses off Matthews and allow him to get back to his pass-rush form of 2010.

Perry led the Pac-12 in sacks last year with 9 1/2, and he had 21 1/2 sacks total in his three playing seasons. An early entry in the draft, Perry redshirted as a freshman in 2008. As a redshirt freshman in ’09, Perry led USC in sacks with eight. A native of Detroit, Perry is listed at 6-2 1/2, 271 pounds.